FdSc Agricultural Management

Bridgwater College and Somerset College recently merged to become Bridgwater & Taunton College. Study a specialist degree with us and be part of our growing community of over 28,000 students. Enjoy our outstanding facilities – we have recently invested £4 million into our agricultural facilities, £2 million into our new Animal Management Centre and £12.5 million in our Art & Design facility (known as the Arts House). We recently won the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for FE & HE, as well as many other awards, and always achieve top results, which makes us one of the best colleges in the South West.

Course details

Year 1

Core modules

BRID1118 Agricultural Finance

This module will show the different sources of capital available to an agri-food business. It will also take students through the preparation of cash analysis, accounts, trading accounts and balance sheets. Students will create partial budgets and use them as a tool to aid enterprise changes.

BRID1119 Agricultural Technology

This module will encompass the latest technologies in the fields of agricultural machinery and building design. It will develop students' understanding of the machinery requirements and machinery management of crop production, to enable them to make sound judgments when managing crops. This module will examine the factors to be considered when determining the buildings and equipment needed for livestock and crops.

BRID1122 Agricultural Budgeting

This module will take students through the main budgets which are needed in the management of a farm business. The students will develop plans utilising their knowledge of livestock, crops, finance, marketing, labour, and machinery.

BRID1123 Animal Health and Food Safety

This module will develop students' understanding of animal health and enable them to make sound judgments when managing livestock units. Students will learn to identify diseases in livestock and formulate farm health plans. This module also allows the student to gain an understanding of the basic principles of food safety and how to control the risks associated with producing food from 'farm to fork'

BRID1130 Forage Crop Production Systems

This module will enable students to reflect on the quality standards and the production of grass and alternative forage crops. Beginning with the recognition of soil types and structures the module will also give the students the opportunity to examine sustainable crop rotations.

BRID1131 Animal Production Systems

This unit will firstly enable students to summarise and compare the diverse range of current livestock production systems within the UK. Secondly, students will be able to select a livestock system for a given situation, identifying the role of emerging technologies and the need to meet the demands of evolving markets.

Final year

Core modules

BRID2214 Dairy Herd Management

This module will provide students with an understanding of the applications of dairy cow breeding and nutrition in the commercial environment. It will examine in detail current breeding practices at commercial units including Rodway Farm and predict their likely results. Students will have full access to industrial specialists involved with animal nutrition and be able to formulate rations of their own under guidance.

BRID2215 Meat and Livestock Management

This module will allow the student to critically assess the factors affecting the efficiency of meat production and profitability of a variety of livestock systems.

BRID2216 Agriculture, the Environment and the Law

This module examines the effects of agriculture on the environment, and the legislation with which agriculture must comply. It looks at the major inputs into agriculture and actions which can be taken to minimise their impact on the environment.

BRID2217 Personal and Professional Development

This module is designed to equip students with the necessary knowledge and skills to develop themselves in terms of their personal and employability skills. The module will also develop a student's skills to research a topic of their choice and analyse the information found.

BRID2225 Business Analysis

Analysing the performance of a farm business is a complex process for which many farmers use a consultant. This module enables the student to analyse the business, and to prepare a plan for the business for the next 5 years. This is a practical module using accounts from farms in the county and providing feedback to those farmers.

BRID2226 Crop Management and Sustainable Processes

Sustainable cropping and soil management are two of the major themes for his unit. This module will allow the students to acquire the knowledge to select, grow, harvest and market a range of arable crops, including the selection and use of the machinery required for them. It will also cover aspects of organic food production.

The modules shown for this course are those currently being studied by our students, or are proposed new modules. Please note that programme structures and individual modules are subject to amendment from time to time as part of the University’s curriculum enrichment programme and in line with changes in the University’s policies and requirements.

Fees, costs and funding

As this course is delivered by one of our partner colleges, please contact the college directly for information on fees and funding.

How to apply

All applications for undergraduate courses are made through UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service).

UCAS will ask for the information contained in the box at the top of this course page including the UCAS course code and the institution code.

To apply for this course and for more information about submitting an application including application deadline dates, please visit the UCAS website.

Our partnership with Bridgwater & Taunton College

The University of Plymouth has developed partnerships with institutions around the world with the sole purpose of making higher education more accessible to those people who need something just a little different.

Our Academic Partnerships enable students to enrol for a degree at a partnership institution closer to home, or engage in distance learning – even when they’re in the middle of the ocean. They are there for those people looking to return to education, or enhance their professional development. Full- or part-time; foundation degree to masters-level – we cater for a huge variety of needs and aspirations.

Many of our partners offer specialist degrees, unique facilities, and smaller class sizes at a competitive price. And as a student of two institutions, you get the best of both worlds; a supportive learning environment as part of a close-knit community, and a university-level qualification awarded by the University of Plymouth. You’ll enjoy not only the facilities and services your partnership institution provides, but also all of the additional support and resources you need from us, and you’ll automatically become a member of our Students’ Union, too.

We are continuing to grow the number of partner institutions and expand our academic community to new locations around the UK and overseas. Why not visit the Academic Partnerships page on our website for a full list of partners and for more details on studying with us?

One of our partners delivers this particular course – so please visit their website for full course details, entry requirements, tuition fees and information on what student life is like there.

Open days

Partner college open days

This course is run at one of our partner colleges. Open days are held at the college and more details of these can be found on the college website. You'll find contact details below, on this page.

University of Plymouth open days

You are also very welcome to attend a University of Plymouth open day, to get a flavour of the courses you can progress to from a partner college. There will however be limited information on this specific course and college.

Studying with Bridgwater & Taunton College

An award-winning Beacon College. Eleven Beacon awards. Four Centres of Vocational Excellence Awards. Our achievements speak for themselves – which is why every year 700 students from over 35 countries choose Bridgwater College to pursue their education.